For His Sake

BethanySMC - Thursday, 3 November 2011 06:31

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Mat5:11-12

Throughout history those who loved Christ experienced persecutions. In modern day, history repeats itself and God’s children are still being persecuted all around the world. The world knows a lot of ways to mock the followers of Jesus. Some experience verbal abuse, others are severely punished, inflicted with pain, robbed of all rights and possessions – in attempt to compel them to renounce their faith and compromise their principles.

Jesus calls such people blessed! I wonder how many of us would want to experience this blessing. How many would “rejoice, and be exceeding glad” if tomorrow would be our time to stand for Jesus and prove that we love Him above our own life?

The Bible tells us that the day is coming when true Christians will be hated by all nations! And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: Mat10:22 Perhaps our time is coming soon! Does it sound discouraging to you? If yes, it may be that you personally don’t know Christ yet, or have very little faith in Him, or your love grew cold and you desperately need serious repentance.

There are a number of accounts recorded in the Bible and much more in history books, where in the time of suffering and persecutions, Christians all around the world experienced it with exceeding joy. Being tortured for Christ, burned, drowned, hanged, beheaded, cut in pieces, in prisons, burned alive and humiliated beyond measure – yet, they surprised their persecutors by the peace and joy that could be seen in their eyes! You see, those who love Christ indeed cannot be troubled by suffering for Jesus, instead they consider it a privilege.

Although, this cup is not pleasant at all and no one is eager to try it, but when it is time to drink it, true Christians drink it with joy! Jesus promises a great reward in heaven and we expect it to be so! There are different types of honor that will be awarded to those who love Christ and devoted their life to honor God, who focused on eternity, whose goal of life is Christ, and who remained faithful to the end. Since the birth of the church the crown of martyrs was considered to be one of the greatest that a faithful person could receive.

As history unfolds, its gets more obvious that in a not too distant future, even in theUSA, more and more of true Christians will have to pay the price for their faith; many students already do when they try to stand for what they believe in the schooling system. However, no matter what the world throws at us big or small let us defuse with exceeding joy! Suffering if need be while targeted by the enemy for His sake – expecting great reward in heaven.

Let us not forget that in the light of eternity, our life here on earth is likened to a vapor. All our suffering, I would say is a blink of an eye. One blink and everything is behind. One blink of an eye and no more pain, no more persecution; just one blink, and you’re in the presence of God honored with a crown! Yes, blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for Lord Jesus’ sake.This is a good reason to rejoice and to be exceedingly glad!

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 3rd, 2011 at 6:31 pm and is filed under Christian Living, Devotionals, Faith.
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